35,045 research outputs found

    Brand Loyalty- Impact of Cognitive and Affective Variables

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    Studies on brand loyalty typically focus on the behavioural side of brand loyalty or on the attitudinal side. Rare are the studies that examine simultaneously both components of brand loyalty. The present study was performed to describe the conjoint contribution of cognitive and affective variables in the formation of brand loyalty. A questionnaire was administered to 400 shampoo users. A confirmatory analysis was performed to test the conceptual model presented. The results provide a better knowledge about the role played by each factor in brand loyalty formation and emphasises the major role played by affective factors.brand loyalty, repetitive buying behaviour, true loyalty, commitment, brand attachment endogenous rural development, european model of agriculture, traditional agriculture, modern agriculture, multifunctionality

    Growing Pains: Getting past the complexities of scaling social impact

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    In communities across the UK, organisations develop new ideas to improve the lives of those around them. And yet despite growing demand for charity services, concerted attempts to take proven approaches to scale are few and far between, and successful examples are rarer still. This paper aims to bring about a change in tack by proposing a way of assessing the viability of scaling in different contexts

    Proportionality of Willingness to Pay to Small Risk Changes – The Impact of Attitudinal Factors in Scope Tests

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    Sensitivity (proportionality) of willingness to pay to (small) risk changes is often used as a criterion to test for valid measures of economic preferences. In a contingent valuation (CV) study conducted in Austria in February 2005 1,005 respondents were asked their willingness to pay (WTP) for preventing an increase in risk by 1/42,500 and 3/42,500, respectively. WTP for the higher risk variation is significantly higher than WTP for the lower risk change. We find evidence that those respondents who have personal experience with avalanches combine the information about future risk increase, provided in the survey, with the observed number of mortal avalanche accidents in the past. The proportionality of WTP holds if such prior experiences are taken into account and the influence of attitudinal factors in scope tests are controlled for.Contingent Valuation, Willingness to Pay, Scope Test, Sensitivity of WTP

    How effective is 'relationship marketing' in gaining customer loyalty to securities brokerages?

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    Relationship marketing (RM) is widely acknowledged as a useful tool in gaining customer loyalty in various sectors. However, to date, there had been no research on how RM impacts customer loyalty in the securities brokerage firm industry in The Stock Exchange of Thailand. This study employs an inductive research approach to explore RM in securities brokerage firms in Thailand’s financial services sector and gain an understanding of customers’ and other stakeholders’ views of RM activities and loyalty to brokerages in an emerging market. Multiple data collection methods were employed, including semi-structured interviews as the main collection method and participant observations in a supporting role. Qualitative content analysis and coding techniques were used for analysing the data. This pioneering research provides new theoretical and practice knowledge and delivers a far more subtle and nuanced analysis of the dynamics at play between customer loyalty, various RM strategies and different customer types – compared to the current literature. The study found that securities brokerage firms in Thailand implemented RM practice but with differences in relationship marketing strategies, depending on the types of customers being targeted. The study identified the main factors impacting on customer loyalty to both local and international securities brokerage firms. Finally, the research confirmed that RM had a demonstrable impact in gaining customer loyalty to securities brokerage firms in The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), but with intriguing characteristics, for example, RM’s positive impact on individual short-term investors’ loyalty, not to brokerages, but to particular staff

    A BIO-ECONOMIC MODEL OF WETLAND PROTECTION ON PRIVATE LANDS

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    Wetland ecosystems on privately owned farms such as those on the Murrumbidgee River Floodplain in the state of New South Wales, Australia provide a mix of potentially valuable outputs to their owners and the wider community. The mix of values generated is dependent on the biophysical status of the wetlands, which in-turn, is dependent on the land management in and around these multiple-output ecosystems. Despite the range of private and public values generated, management decisions are based primarily on the private values that landowners receive. These private land management decisions also affect social values. Hence, there is potentially a demand for public policy to influence decisions based on the social values wetlands generate. This paper is predicated on the principle that good policy is reliant on information about wetland values. We present an integrated bio-economic model of wetland management that incorporates the biological and economic impacts at a landscape scale. The model reflects the multiple private and social values generated by wetlands and the dynamic nature of the trade-offs between these values. A number of broad policy conclusions for wetland management in Australia are generated from the outputs of the bio-economic model.Land Economics/Use,

    Contextual Sensitivity in Grounded Theory: The Role of Pilot Studies

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    Grounded Theory is an established methodological approach for context specific inductive theory building. The grounded nature of the methodology refers to these specific contexts from which emergent propositions are drawn. Thus, any grounded theory study requires not only theoretical sensitivity, but also a good insight on how to design the research in the human activity systems to be studied. The lack of this insight may result in inefficient theoretical sampling or even erroneous purposeful sampling. These problems would not necessarily be critical, as it could be argued that through the elliptical process that characterizes grounded theory, remedial loops would always bring the researcher to the core of the theory. However, these elliptical remedial processes can take very long periods of time and result in catastrophic delays in research projects. As a strategy, this paper discusses, contrasts and compares the use of pilot studies in four different grounded theory projects. Each pilot brought different insights about the context, resulting in changes of focus, guidance to improve data collection instruments and informing theoretical sampling. Additionally, as all four projects were undertaken by researchers with little experience of inductive approaches in general and grounded theory in particular, the pilot studies also served the purpose of training in interviewing, relating to interviewees, memoing, constant comparison and coding. This last outcome of the pilot study was actually not planned initially, but revealed itself to be a crucial success factor in the running of the projects. The paper concludes with a theoretical proposition for the concept of contextual sensitivity and for the inclusion of the pilot study in grounded theory research designs

    Interdependence of Personality Traits and Brand Identity in Measuring Brand Performance

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    Brand personality is an attractive and appealing concept in the marketing of today. Consumers perceive the brand on dimensions that typically capture a person’s personality, and extend that to the domain of brands. The discussions in the paper are woven around the issues concerning brand strength, brand identity and cognitive relationship between the consumer personality attributes and brand perceptions. Human personality traits that affect the brand performance are critically examined and role of emotions and attitudes including personality, image, reputation and trust (PIRT) in measuring the performance of brand is argued in the paper. An emerging brand strategy concept in context to bottom of pyramid market segment is also discussed illustratively in this paper.Cognitive behavior, brand identity, personality traits, bottom of the pyramid market, brand image, trust, corporate reputation, mass market, brand performance, customer value

    UK Breastfeeding Helpline support: An investigation of influences upon satisfaction

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    Background Incentive or reward schemes are becoming increasingly popular to motivate healthy lifestyle behaviours. In this paper, insights from a qualitative and descriptive study to investigate the uptake, impact and meanings of a breastfeeding incentive intervention integrated into an existing peer support programme (Star Buddies) are reported. The Star Buddies service employs breastfeeding peer supporters to support women across the ante-natal, intra-partum and post-partum period. Methods In a disadvantaged area of North West England, women initiating breastfeeding were recruited by peer supporters on the postnatal ward or soon after hospital discharge to participate in an 8 week incentive (gifts and vouchers) and breastfeeding peer supporter intervention. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 women participants who engaged with the incentive intervention, and a focus group was held with the 4 community peer supporters who delivered the intervention. Descriptive analysis of routinely collected data for peer supporter contacts and breastfeeding outcomes before and after the incentive intervention triangulated and retrospectively provided the context for the qualitative thematic analysis. Results A global theme emerged of 'incentives as connectors', with two sub-themes of 'facilitating connections' and 'facilitating relationships and wellbeing'. The incentives were linked to discussion themes and gift giving facilitated peer supporter access for proactive weekly home visits to support women. Regular face to face contacts enabled meaningful relationships and new connections within and between the women, families, peer supporters and care providers to be formed and sustained. Participants in the incentive scheme received more home visits and total contact time with peer supporters compared to women before the incentive intervention. Full participation levels and breastfeeding rates at 6-8 weeks were similar for women before and after the incentive intervention. Conclusion The findings suggest that whilst the provision of incentives might not influence women's intentions or motivations to breastfeed, the connections forged provided psycho-social benefits for both programme users and peer supporters

    Colorectal Cancer Brochure Development for African Americans

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    Introduction: African Americans are more likely to die from colorectal cancer (CRC) than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Unfortunately, African Americans are also less likely to undergo screening for CRC than their White counterparts. Focus groups methodology was used to refine educational brochures designed to increase CRC screening among African Americans. Methods: Two series of focus groups were completed, with a total of seven groups and 39 participants. Six different brochures (stage-matched and culturally sensitive) designed to promote CRC screening among African Americans were evaluated. Results: All participants thought that the brochures motivated them to talk with their health care providers about screening. Cost, pain, medical mistrust and fear were identified as major barriers and the brochures were modified to address these concerns. Conclusions: Focus groups methodology with African Americans can be used to inform brochures designed to increase African Americans CRC screening that addresses their major concerns

    Validation of the 8-item Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS-8) in a British population survey

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    Introduction. Public opinions concerning gambling are an important factor in shaping public policy. Little empirical attention has been given to assessing gambling attitudes within the general population. The aim of the present study is to validate the 8-item Attitudes Towards Gambling Scale (ATGS-8) in British individuals and to investigate associations of these attitudes with frequency of gambling and gambling problems. Methods. Data were derived from 7746 individuals participating in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010, a comprehensive interview-based survey conducted in Great Britain between November 2009 and May 2010. Confirmatory factor analysis and separate regression analyses were applied. Results. The one-dimensional structure of the ATGS-8 was confirmed in the community sample and by gender. Furthermore, more positive attitudes towards gambling were positively related to frequency of gambling and gambling problems. Conclusions. The present study extends the previous evaluations of the scale by providing detailed evidence for the utility and usefulness of the ATGS-8 in a community sample and across gender. The ATGS-8 is a valid instrument to assess public opinion on gambling among the general population
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